The Public Address Great Blend is back! And, as was the case last year in Wellington, we're staging it alongside Internet NZ's annual NetHui conference.

This year's Great Blend takes place on the evening of Thursday, July 10, at the Montecristo Room, 53 Nelson Street (that's underneath Toto pizzeria), Auckland, from 6.30pm to 11pm.

As ever, it's free for everyone to attend, but capacity is limited and we really need you to RSVP here.

The event is being sponsored this time by Recorded Music New Zealand and friends (there'll be more detail in a forthcoming announcement) and the theme of the panel discussion will be the importance of creative works and the changing realities of doing business in the internet age. It's quite a panel: Adam Holt (Universal Music), Fergus Barrowman (Victoria University Press) and innovative screen producer Roseanne Liang (Flat 3).

But it's also a party kind of party and there's no one better to get that started than funky nu-disco master HIGH HOOPS, who will play an exclusive set.

And just to make it really nice, our friends at Kopparberg cider and Grolsch beer have kindly come on board to provide us with the refreshments at mates' rates.